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I predict that prior to the 2020 elections the United States and China will conclude negotiations for China to oversee reunification of the Korean Peninsula and implement a more capitalist economic / political model in North Korea. In return, the United States will acquire agreements to: 1) dismantle or abandon most-but-not-all Chinese man-made islands in the South China Sea; 2) agree to recognize some claims on certain gas / petroleum reserves by ASEAN nations, especially those currently under litigation in International courts; and 3) agree on economic trade that benefits both the US and China.

I was cuisin’ the Internet this morning, and reflected that while I can find opinions supporting my negative prognostications regarding the stock market, I can also find articles supporting a “bullish” outlook despite the problems with Greece, the Fed, Puerto Rico, the Euro. I also took a look at the political domain, and found positions both supporting and denigrating Mr. Trump.

The “Trump” situation is perhaps a clearer domain upon which to focus. There are obvious power plays being conducted both on and against his behalf. And it occurred to me, perhaps the same could be said for reporting on International markets. In both domains people have a lot to gain from power and financial perspectives.

If I look at National Review, I can pretty well guess that the reports are going to be negative about “the Donald” because NR’s management is in the tank for the old-guard GOP. If I look at Breitbart, I can pretty well anticipate some positive puff-pieces on Mr. Trump ’cause management falls in the Tea Party orbit.

But if you’re looking for financial advice, can you truly anticipate which bias is being reported? With all the back-room deals going on, the vision is murky at best, and the air is redolent with the odor of hidden secrets that only the rich and powerful share with each other.

US Economy “Black Swan”?
I wonder what would happen if an earthquake equivalent to the New Madrid earthquakes (1811 – 1812) were to happen today. Impact to commerce in Middle and East Coast America could be severe.

From Wikipedia: “There are estimates that the earthquakes were felt strongly over roughly 130,000 square kilometers (50,000 sq mi), and moderately across nearly 3 million square kilometers (1 million square miles). The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, by comparison, was felt moderately over roughly 16,000 km2 (6,200 sq mi).”

Very interesting implications for society at large. When this gets implemented into a holodeck architecture I wonder…. will the decreasing abilities of our youth to effectively interact with each other on a physical basis be exacerbated? What implications are there for social interaction, and our ability to interact with those cultures which are not as advanced technically? Will the increased ability to “tune in and drop out” open us up to predation by enemies who are focused on the “here and now”?

From a positive perspective, however, I can imagine that there could be meaningful improvements in the lives of those who are incapable of social interaction, either due to mental defects or loss of mobility. As one of the older members of society, I can foresee that there might be tremendous benefits for my generation as it ages.

However, it would be wise to note that the problems in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, China, and Lebanon are what you get when you “Hope” for “Change”, and all you have to back it up are Candied Rainbows and Unicorn Tears.

It’s not that the Left isn’t correct to cut back on the Right’s desire to play World Policeman, it’s just that their utopian dreams for society are woefully unprepared for the realities of an existence dominated by the urge for survival and the existence of Evil. “Reality” is the bullet that strikes you in the chest when you think that the mugger will leave you alone after taking your wallet.

In 2006, climate change experts from Bangor University in north Wales found a very special clam while dredging the seabeds of Iceland. At that time scientists counted the rings on the inside shell to determine that the clam was the ripe old age of 405. Unfortunately, by opening the clam which scientists refer to as “Ming,” they killed it instantly.

Cut to 2013, researchers have determined that the original calculations of Ming’s age were wrong, and that the now deceased clam was actually 102 years older than originally thought. Ming was 507 years old at the time of its demise.

According to the Mirror, Ocean scientist Paul Butler from Bangor University said: “We got it wrong the first time and maybe we were a bit hasty publishing our findings back then. But we are absolutely certain that we’ve got the right age now.The nice thing about these shells is that they have distinct annual growth lines, so we can accurately date the shell material.That’s just the same as what archaeologists do when they use tree rings in dead wood to work out the dates of old buildings.”

The 507-year-old clam shattered the previous unofficial title holder for world’s oldest creature held by a 374-year-old Icelandic clam in a German museum.

No information was given as to which scientist murdered the former record holder.

Sorta reminds me of the Health Care Act… but instead of needing to “pass it to see what’s in it”, they needed to “kill it to find out how old it was.”

One resulted in killing Insurance for between 10 and 50 million Americans, the other in killing a very old mollusk. [At least it wasn’t a Sequoia!]

A listing of the offenses and possible justification for impeachment, yet the article closes with the following:

The bottom line is that weak leadership in Congress will never call for impeachment of inept leadership in the White House. Even if a strong case could be made, the major media and entertainment industry would do everything it could to destroy as many opposition political careers as possible.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Democrats like the job the president is doing. Eighty-five percent (85%) of Republicans and 61% of voters not affiliated with either major party disapprove.

The latest figures include 24% of all likely voters who Strongly Approve of the way Obama is performing as president and 42% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18.